Frick, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Frick is a municipality
in the district of Laufenburg
in the canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
. A dinosaur graveyard containing more than 100 Plateosaurus
was found there in August 2007.
fortification was discovered. The name Roman era
name for Frick ( or iron ore field) refers to the Roman iron ore mine in the area. Additionally, remains of a Roman Estate from the second Century were found on the main road, and the remains of a small fort from the early 4th Century, which would have protected the military road Vindonissa
-Augusta Raurica
, was discovered below the church hill. On the hill, a new wall was built around 370. The finds in Oberdorf suggest a large Roman settlement from the 1st to 4th centuries. Graves on the church hill also indicate that there was an Alamanni
settlement after the Romans. The core of the medieval settlement was clustered around the church hill. The oldest church, a fortified church building, is still visible around the current church. After the fire in the village in 1734 this old section was only partially rebuilt. The new settlement was concentrated along what is now the Bözbergstrasse. Frick is first mentioned in 1064 as Fricho.
Starting in the High Middle Ages
, Frick was the center of power of the Counts of Homberg-Thierstein. There was also a Ministerialis
family, unfree knights in the service of another noble, known as von Frick. Around 1230 the village came to the Habsburgs and together with Gipf, Upper Frick and with some of Oeschgen, formed the bailiwick
of Frick (also called the Homburgeramt). The Homburger Vogt
was also chief administrator of the Fricktal (Frick valley). The Bailiwick possessed special powers, including a vogt seal and the right to choose their own vogt, as well as the rights to Zwing und Bann
.
The citizens of the Bailiwick were divided into the upper layer of Vollbauern (literally, Full farmers), as well as in the Halbbauern (lit. Smallholding farmers) and the Taun. The Vollbauern included the vogt's family, and were the most privileged. The Taun represented the largest group numerically in the early modern period
. Lacking bailiwick citizenship and virtually without rights were the tenants.
After the Act of Mediation
in 1803, Frick and the rest of the modern Fricktal became part of the newly formed Canton of Aargau. In 1804 the municipalities of Frick and Gipf-Frick were formed. In 2007 a major dinosaur graveyard was discovered in Frick. Some of the bones are now on display in the Dinosaur Museum.
The Church of St. Peter and Paul were probably built as a private church for the Counts of Homberg during the High Middle Ages. In the Thirty Years War, the village was destroyed together with the church. In the mid 14 Century the church came under the authority of Steinen Convent in Basel. Then, in 1492 it was granted to Teutonic Knights
at Beuggen. The present baroque building is from 1716, and the reformed
church is from 1910. The reformed parish
comprises ten municipalities and the parish offices are in Frick and Gipf-Oberfrick
. The catholic parish, consisting of Frick and Gipf-Oberfrick, has been a separate parish since 1953.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.6%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.8% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.9%. 27.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 26.3% is used for growing crops and 17.1% is pastures, while 2.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Laufenburg district, located at the meeting of the Bözberg, Staffelegg and Benken Jura
passes. It is the central municipality in the Fricktal
. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Frick.
The age distribution, , in Frick is; 441 children or 9.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 587 teenagers or 12.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 691 people or 14.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 664 people or 14.1% are between 30 and 39, 820 people or 17.4% are between 40 and 49, and 599 people or 12.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 462 people or 9.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 273 people or 5.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 155 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 25 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 41.9% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 148 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 836 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 554 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 1,585 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 610 single family homes (or 29.9% of the total) out of a total of 2,041 homes and apartments. There were a total of 24 empty apartments for a 1.2% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.9 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 33.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(19.9%), the SP
(16%) and the FDP
(12.9%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Frick about 66.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). Of the school age population , there are 318 students attending primary school, there are 246 students attending secondary school, there are 402 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
church of St. Peter and Paul as well as the charnel house
is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
. The village of Frick is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
there were 2,111 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,351 or about 64.0% of the residents worked outside Frick while 1,764 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,524 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 18% used public transportation to get to work, and 40.4% used a private car.
faith.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Laufenburg
Laufenburg (district)
Laufenburg District is a district of the canton of Aargau, Switzerland, essentially consisting of the upper Fricktal valley in the Aargau Jura south of the Rhine. Its capital is the town of Laufenburg. It has a population of .-Geography:...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. A dinosaur graveyard containing more than 100 Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus is a genus of plateosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period, around 216 to 199 million years ago, in what is now Central and Northern Europe. Plateosaurus is a basal sauropodomorph dinosaur, a so-called "prosauropod"...
was found there in August 2007.
History
Frick has a very long inhabited history. At the nearby Wittnauer Horn, a prehistorical, late-Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
fortification was discovered. The name Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
name for Frick ( or iron ore field) refers to the Roman iron ore mine in the area. Additionally, remains of a Roman Estate from the second Century were found on the main road, and the remains of a small fort from the early 4th Century, which would have protected the military road Vindonissa
Vindonissa
Vindonissa was a Roman legion camp at modern Windisch, Switzerland. It was probably established in 15 AD. In an expansion around 30, thermal baths were added....
-Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland. Located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst, it is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine....
, was discovered below the church hill. On the hill, a new wall was built around 370. The finds in Oberdorf suggest a large Roman settlement from the 1st to 4th centuries. Graves on the church hill also indicate that there was an Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
settlement after the Romans. The core of the medieval settlement was clustered around the church hill. The oldest church, a fortified church building, is still visible around the current church. After the fire in the village in 1734 this old section was only partially rebuilt. The new settlement was concentrated along what is now the Bözbergstrasse. Frick is first mentioned in 1064 as Fricho.
Starting in the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
, Frick was the center of power of the Counts of Homberg-Thierstein. There was also a Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
family, unfree knights in the service of another noble, known as von Frick. Around 1230 the village came to the Habsburgs and together with Gipf, Upper Frick and with some of Oeschgen, formed the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Frick (also called the Homburgeramt). The Homburger Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
was also chief administrator of the Fricktal (Frick valley). The Bailiwick possessed special powers, including a vogt seal and the right to choose their own vogt, as well as the rights to Zwing und Bann
Zwing und Bann
Zwing und Bann is a Swiss feudal set of rules and regulations governing justice and punishment in a village or villages. Zwing and Twing are different spellings based on the local Swiss German dialect. The magistrate or Zwingherr had legally binding rules and regulations in the exercise of low...
.
The citizens of the Bailiwick were divided into the upper layer of Vollbauern (literally, Full farmers), as well as in the Halbbauern (lit. Smallholding farmers) and the Taun. The Vollbauern included the vogt's family, and were the most privileged. The Taun represented the largest group numerically in the early modern period
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
. Lacking bailiwick citizenship and virtually without rights were the tenants.
After the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
in 1803, Frick and the rest of the modern Fricktal became part of the newly formed Canton of Aargau. In 1804 the municipalities of Frick and Gipf-Frick were formed. In 2007 a major dinosaur graveyard was discovered in Frick. Some of the bones are now on display in the Dinosaur Museum.
The Church of St. Peter and Paul were probably built as a private church for the Counts of Homberg during the High Middle Ages. In the Thirty Years War, the village was destroyed together with the church. In the mid 14 Century the church came under the authority of Steinen Convent in Basel. Then, in 1492 it was granted to Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
at Beuggen. The present baroque building is from 1716, and the reformed
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
church is from 1910. The reformed parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
comprises ten municipalities and the parish offices are in Frick and Gipf-Oberfrick
Gipf-Oberfrick
Gipf-Oberfrick is a municipality in the district of Laufenburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Discoveries in area that would become Gipf-Oberfrick indicated that there were several earlier settlements. These finds include; several Bronze Age items, La Tène culture graves and Roman...
. The catholic parish, consisting of Frick and Gipf-Oberfrick, has been a separate parish since 1953.
Geography
Frick has an area, , of 9.96 square kilometres (3.8 sq mi). Of this area, 4.59 square kilometres (1.8 sq mi) or 46.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.92 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi) or 29.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.41 square kilometre (0.930506202208009 sq mi) or 24.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.06 km² (14.8 acre) or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.6%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.8% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.9%. 27.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 26.3% is used for growing crops and 17.1% is pastures, while 2.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Laufenburg district, located at the meeting of the Bözberg, Staffelegg and Benken Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
passes. It is the central municipality in the Fricktal
Fricktal
The Fricktal region is the northwest finger extending from the Swiss canton of Aargau. It is situated in Northwestern Switzerland east of Basel, between the High Rhine forming the border with Germany in the north and the Jura Mountains in the south. The Fricktal contains the districts of...
. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Frick.
Demographics
Frick has a population of , 25.9% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 22.3%. Most of the population speaks German (85.1%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.6%) and Albanian being third ( 3.2%).The age distribution, , in Frick is; 441 children or 9.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 587 teenagers or 12.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 691 people or 14.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 664 people or 14.1% are between 30 and 39, 820 people or 17.4% are between 40 and 49, and 599 people or 12.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 462 people or 9.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 273 people or 5.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 155 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 25 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 41.9% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 148 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 836 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 554 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 1,585 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 610 single family homes (or 29.9% of the total) out of a total of 2,041 homes and apartments. There were a total of 24 empty apartments for a 1.2% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 12.9 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 33.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(19.9%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16%) and the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(12.9%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Frick about 66.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the school age population , there are 318 students attending primary school, there are 246 students attending secondary school, there are 402 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1768 | 495 |
| 1850 | 1,112 |
| 1900 | 937 |
| 1950 | 1,589 |
| 2000 | 4,028 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church of St. Peter and Paul as well as the charnel house
Charnel house
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...
is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. The village of Frick is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Economy
, Frick had an unemployment rate of 2.77%. , there were 100 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 1,270 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 1,731 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 206 businesses in this sector.there were 2,111 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,351 or about 64.0% of the residents worked outside Frick while 1,764 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,524 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 18% used public transportation to get to work, and 40.4% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 2,061 or 51.2% were Roman Catholic, while 931 or 23.1% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 21 individuals (or about 0.52% of the population) who belonged to the Christian CatholicChristian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith.